Marchtrenk vs. SMARchTrenk
“Smart Energy Solutions for the Urban Region Marchtrenk”
This program has its focus on the development of a smart city or smart urban region in Austria.
Austria has small settlement areas and a very unique variety of culture and nature. This project wants to guide cities and urban regions into a sustainable future (SMARchTrenk).
Marchtrenk is located on the intersection of two important cities, Wels and Linz. In the future it will have more responsibilities in the development of the Upper Austrian central area.
SMARchTrenk is a project that will create a concept to guide them to an ideal design for the urban region of Marchtrenk. The focus is on new sustainable parts of town or district (SMARchTrenk).
The demo project is on the property of the old Sternmühle or Marchtrenker mill. It´s located on the Mühlbach. Along this Mühlbach there where 12 mills, even a pepper mill, and the Sternmühle is one of the best preserved ones. This mill was important for jobs in the 19th and 20th century.
The project wants to optimize the living in this area with a smart building approach. The innovative energy concept shows that this part of town will produce its own energy on the property of “Sternmühle” and it will be all based on renewable resources. It also wants to implement a user-friendly electric mobility concept to get rid of traffic and environmental pollution. It´s also important to come up with an intelligent solution combine Humans and Living, Humans and Working and Humans and Energy. At the moment they are talking about the concept and the funding of this project. It´s just in the early stage of developing and plans are getting made (SMARchTrenk).
Chances and risks – Conclusion
I try to mention some chances and risks to illustrate the future possibilities of the project.
| Chances | Risks |
| Possibilities for innovation and participation for the citizens | Technology could be seen as too important |
| Alternatives in producing energy | Danger of surveillance with cameras, sensors, abuse of the data or the technology |
| Calming traffic, building more pathways and cycle ways | Technology is not yet matured |
| Expansion public transport system | Potential of mental enfeeblement of citizens, because of the false usage of technologies |
| Dealing with strong population increase | Dealing with strong population increase |
| Slow down urban sprawl | Contradictory laws |
| Pioneer project, lots of chances also for other cities | Nobody knows how it is going to work |
| Dealing with the cultural mixture, no segregation | If not well supervised there going to be the same problems between the different cultures |
| Sustainable use for the property of “Sternmühle” (energy, mobility, living, working) | Financing of the project |
Marchtrenk 